definitions

negativism

[ neg-uh-ti-viz-uh m ]
/ ˈnɛg ə tɪˌvɪz əm /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR negativism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a negative or pessimistic attitude.
Psychology. a tendency to resist external commands, suggestions, or expectations, or internal stimuli, as hunger, by doing nothing or something contrary or unrelated to the stimulus.
any system of negative philosophy, as agnosticism or skepticism.

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RELATED WORDS

action, hostility, resistance, struggle, violation, antithesis, competition, counteraction, defense, brush, clash, combat, contest, engagement, disapproval, grapple, encounter, contrariety, war, conflict

Nearby words

negative tax, negative theology, negative transfer, negative-raising, negative-strand virus, negativism, negaton, negator, negatory, negatron, negev

Origin of negativism

First recorded in 1815–25; negative + -ism

Related forms

neg·a·tiv·ist, nounneg·a·tiv·is·tic, adjectivenon·neg·a·tiv·ism, nounnon·neg·a·tiv·is·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for negativism

British Dictionary definitions for negativism

negativism

/ (ˈnɛɡətɪvˌɪzəm) /

noun

a tendency to be or a state of being unconstructively critical
any sceptical or derisive system of thought
psychiatry refusal to do what is expected or suggested or the tendency to do the opposite

Derived Forms

negativist, noun, adjectivenegativistic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for negativism

negativism

[ nĕg′ə-tĭ-vĭz′əm ]

n.

A tendency to do the opposite of what one is requested to do, or to resist stubbornly for no apparent reason.

Related forms

neg′a•tiv•ist n.neg′a•tiv•is′tic adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.